Background

Embark on a quest to find the Triforce, slay Ganon and save Princess Zelda in the timeless adventure game from Shigeru Miyamoto that invented the genre. Originally released for the Famicom Disk System in Japan, the game arrived in the US on cartridge in 1987. In an ingenious marketing ploy, Nintendo released the game on a gold cartridge, so if you hadn't heard about the glory of Zelda, the shiny cart would definitely catch your attention. And since Zelda originated on the Disk System, the US version also included the ability to save your game status via battery back-up -- a first for the NES. The game's release heralded the end of the days when console games were all about linear quests and never-ending twitch gameplay with small level variations or increasing speed settings.

Gameplay

As Link, you must find all the dungeons, defeat the bosses within them, and then go through the final dungeon to face off against Gandorf to rescue Princess Zelda. Along the way, you will obtain many useful items, such as the White Sword and the Candle, that become more and more helpful as you progress. You can also buy items from shops with the Rupees you've collected.